


Playing With Your Mind

by Aly_Winchester



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: (eventual) Anal Sex, (eventual) Masturbation, (eventual) Oral Sex, (eventual) Orgasm Denial, (eventual) Toy Sex, (might be) Slight Dub-Con, Angst, Blood, Death, Developing Relationship, Drugs, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Gang Violence, Gun Violence, Half-AU, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Jealousy, Knife Violence, Language, M/M, Murder, Non-Sexual Bondage, Possessive Behavior, Possessive Sex, Pre-Slash, Prostitution, Slash, Slight fluff, Torture, UnSub!Hotch, Violence, father/son relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-21
Updated: 2014-09-06
Packaged: 2017-12-06 00:11:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/729460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aly_Winchester/pseuds/Aly_Winchester
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>SSA Dr. Reid is put on an undercover assignment alone, something he's never done before. But those at the BAU know he's the only one that could get under the suspect's skin. The one they're after is Aaron Hotchner, a local crime lord that has managed to evade the cops for most of his career. With the case at a stand-still and no other options, Reid is sent in to become trusted by Hotch. Friends. Lovers. Spencer is to gain his trust and get what they need and get out. But imagine his surprise when he finds himself falling for the criminal and wanting to run from those at the FBI that want him to bring Aaron in. Will Reid do the right thing and bring Hotchner down or will he listen to his heart and become the next person the BAU is hunting? [HIATUS]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Cold

**Author's Note:**

> Greeting's all! This is my first fic for this fandom so I hope you enjoy. :) Yes this is a "Hotch as UnSub" AU, but the rest of the characters are in their same jobs. Save for Gideon who will basically be in Hotch's position on the team. Also, pardon me if I don't get chapters out as quick as I or you would like, I do work 5 days, 40 hours a week so sometimes it's just too much to sit down everyday and write. However, on my weekends I try to write so I'll do what I can! Thank you ahead of time if you read this, I really appreciate it! In saying that, I'd love some comments! :)

Supervisory Special Agent Doctor Spencer Reid wasn't what you would call the "brawn" of the operation. Spencer Reid was a genius and there was nobody in the world that would argue against that fact. Eidetic memory, able to read roughly twenty thousand words per minute, graduated high school at the age of twelve, three PhD's, three bachelors degrees, and an IQ of one hundred and eighty-seven. There was nobody on Earth that could outsmart the doctor and nobody that really tried. Sure, UnSubs thought they could, but Reid always won out. It was his job, it was what he was good at.

So imagine his frustration when a fifteen-year long case about a local crime lord came to a complete halt with absolutely no clear reason as to why. Reid knew they had a good lead on him, he's the one that did the investigating himself. He remembered every little detail they had gone over and knew that there was nothing they missed, nothing that needed to be looked at over and over again because it already had been. It was all right there in front of them, in black and white, but there was absolutely nothing that they could pick out that could tie the suspect to the crimes.

Reid threw the papers on the table and sat back. He kind of hunched over, his eyes sweeping over all the papers littered over the table, his fingers gripping his shaggy hair tightly. He was tired and frustrated and the only thing of comfort was knowing the rest of his team was just in as bad of shape as him. Worse, even, because a couple of the members had been working on the case since he was in college.

Their unit chief, Supervisory Special Agent Jason Gideon, sat across from Spencer. Reading glasses were perched on his nose and his usually impeccable attire was obviously a day or two old. He had been drinking coffee from the same mug for at least a day and he looked so wired that he wouldn't sleep for a week, not that they had time to really do that. He had the same folder on his lap that he had for about an hour straight and Reid knew he hadn't even turned the page. He had been working on the case the longest and he was taking their stall the hardest.

Beside him was Supervisory Special Agent David Rossi. He had been in the BAU as long as Gideon. As the two founding members, each had left for their own personal reasons and each had found their way back again. Rossi had left the BAU shortly after this case came across Gideon's desk, but he was back and more determined then ever to find the son of a bitch and put him away. He hated the criminals that seemed to outsmart them; though they all knew that would only be short lived.

Supervisory Special Agent Derek Morgan and Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss were on on assignment, talking to criminals low on the totem pole that seemed to want to bring the suspect in as much as the FBI did, for some reason. Of course Reid knew they had to be a little grateful for their testimonies; the man they were hunting would surely find out about the rats out on his streets and have them killed within the week, their bodies becoming evidence in their endless pile of evidence that added up with no final, solid solution.

Only Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia and Media Liaison Jennifer Jareau seemed to have clear heads on their shoulders. They were the newest to this case, even compared to Reid, and they were the fresh eyes of the group. Penelope had three laptops set up in their briefing room where the rest of the team sat, across the table from all of them because of how much her equipment spread out. It was too important for her to be close and for them to know information as soon as she did. Even by phone it wasn't soon enough because the man could seriously disappear in the time it took for her to locate him and then dial the phone. He's done it twice. So they required her to be right there. JJ was pacing, her voice a low pensive mumble as she spoke to contacts that even Prentiss and Morgan couldn't get to because they weren't as low as the people they were seeing and knew that the FBI would capture them if they met in person.

"I've had enough." Gideon threw the folder onto the table finally and sat back, running a hand over his face and throwing his glasses down after the papers. Everybody looked at him, JJ hanging up and they all looked at their unit chief. He looked to be seriously contemplating in his mind, the gears twisting and turning. Being the best profilers in the world, everybody sitting there could see the anger and frustration on his face along with deep, intense hatred, fear, and guilt that dwelled only in his eyes. It had been his job fifteen-years ago to bring this scumbag in, but he couldn't do it. They all knew it wasn't his fault, but Gideon didn't believe them and they gave up trying to convince him.

"JJ, call Morgan and Prentiss and get them back here. Penelope, keep working. Everybody else, take a break. When the others get back, we're having a meeting. We need to do something else. Something...something  _different_ that we haven't already thought of. We'll discuss it." Rossi saw the way his boss wasn't quite ready yet to handle any huge decisions and took over for him. Nobody argued, though, and Garcia kept typing away on the keys without a word. The woman knew how important her job was. Reid slowly got up and followed his partners out of the room and wordlessly left to trail into the man's rest room. He did his business and splashed cold water on his face. He stared at himself in the mirror, his eyes moving over his own face as if he were scrutinizing himself. He was disappointed in his own lack of clear thinking and understanding in this criminal. It should've been a run of the mill gang leader take-down, but nothing about this was ordinary. The man didn't want to be caught and he was damn good at staying hidden.

 _We'll just have to fix that,_ Reid thought. He patted his face dry followed by his hands before he trailed out of the bathroom. He made his way into the break room where JJ was standing. She smiled slightly at her younger team member and stepped aside so he could grab a cup of lukewarm coffee. "I wonder if Rossi has an idea," Reid murmured, more to himself than JJ.

The woman shrugged and looked at him over the rim of her coffee mug. "Chances are he's as lost as us. But with all of us there, we'll figure something out. We have to or we'll be completely screwed."

Reid snorted softly. "Because we aren't already?"

JJ laughed slightly and finished off her coffee. Reid got his and went to his desk, sitting down to root through the stacks upon stacks of old case files and papers that needed to be sent into Gideon and Strauss (BAU Section Chief Erin Strauss, i.e. Gideon's boss). He found some documents that belonged to their current case and despite what Rossi said, he started to read through them. He was interrupted as Morgan and Prentiss walked through the door about half an hour later, both silent. Rossi appeared out of nowhere and directed them back into the briefing room.

The team all sat around the table with Garcia clicking away on her computer and Rossi and Gideon taking the front by the screen. Gideon leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, obviously overwhelmed and letting Rossi take the reigns on this one. "Undercover," he stated simply, not other explanation, but it wasn't needed. The team looked at each other, Garcia pausing and staring around in horror. One of them would be leaving to enter a world of drugs, lies, and murder to catch this guy and there was a fifty fifty chance that they themselves would be killed. Morgan silently and discreetly picked up his hand and placed it on Garcia's that rested on the table, his fingers soothing over her agitated ones. It was no secret of their relationship, but the did everything in their power not to make it a huge deal while in the FBI building. But sometimes comfort was just needed.

Now that they knew what they would be doing, who would be doing it would be a bigger issue. They all looked at each other, questions in their eyes, and hoped to God and any other deity out there that their profile was right. Otherwise they were sending one of their own right into the hands of one of the most prolific, dangerous men of all time.


	2. Enemy Lines

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's back? :D So sorry for the long wait, but here I am! I'm glad everybody liked chapter one, thank you so much! I never expected it, truly, I didn't think this ship was popular. (And that I was worthy of writing it.) :D If you could spare some more, I'd love some more reviews! :) And thanks again so very much! Also, you might have noticed I've changed/added tags so I hope that y'all are still interested after seeing them! (Note: Unbeta'd as of now.)

“No.”

Penelope was the first person to speak after Gideon uttered the name of the person who would be walking straight into the belly of the beast. It was two days after Rossi told them all that somebody, one of them, would be heading undercover and working to bring down the scum that had been evading them for so long, and they were all anxious to get things going. Rossi and Gideon would be recognized, Derek would shoot first and ask questions later, the women would be gunned down or tortured the second they got too close...that left only one person to go in and bring the monster to his knees, to get under his skin and find out his secrets. That would be the only way to bring him down, and it had to be done without a hitch.

Everybody was still shocked at the choice, though, much less Reid himself. He had, of course, been out in the field before, but undercover missions for him were pretty much prohibited by Gideon and even Rossi. They knew to send people like Morgan, people more street smart. But Reid was the only one that could work the profile and think quickly on his feet. He wasn't strong by any means, but he was smart and in this case, that's what counted. Plus his photographic memory didn't hurt anything. He just needed to sit down with Morgan and learn how to take care of himself better, how to look the rhino in the face and strike back with his metaphorical horn.

“Penelope—“

“No!” She stood up, her computer slamming shut in her wake and she was trembling as she stood. She shook her head and they all saw her bright brown eyes fight back tears. “You need to send somebody else. A cop, o-or another agent. But not Reid.”

Gideon visibly sighed as he looked between them. Reid understood her concern and he welcomed it, even mentally thanked her for it as everyone else seemed to accept it without so much a bat of the eyelashes. He knew they were all concerned, he could read it on their faces. Even Rossi and Gideon were apprehensive to send Reid out there, that was plainly obvious. But they all knew—at least the agents themselves—that it had to be done. Without Reid doing this, they might never bring him down and they might never get the organized crime under control in DC. This man controlled it all whether the other gangs or mob circles knew it. At the top it was always him. Everywhere at anytime.

Aaron Hotchner.

The name haunted Reid more and more the longer the time passed that he was still roaming the streets. It had been this single man, just one person, that caused so much crime and fear and hatred amongst the darker citizens and areas of the city that Spencer without a doubt hated him to his very core. He hated everything he stood for, everything he did, everything he didn't do, and every single death that he caused. He turned the good evil, the pure bad. He made even the heavens quake with fear and the ground crumble to dust beneath his feet. He was feared, so very much, and admittedly he was feared most by the very people in the room fighting to stop him. They would never admit that, at least not out loud, but this man was someone to be feared, and once they stopped him, it'd be the catch that would make this entire, horrific job worth it.

“I have to go, Garcia,” he said, looking up through a couple flimsy pieces of hair that fell over into his eyes as he stared at the table in front of him. She opened her mouth to argue again, but he shook his head. “Don't you see? I'm the only one able to get in undetected, everybody else would give it away. He knows Rossi and Gideon, and Derek would only shoot. I can get under his skin, get him to trust me before I take it all from him.” He nodded at the looks JJ and Prentiss were giving him, and he walked over to Garcia, his hands shoved in his pockets as he stared into her tear-filled eyes. “I'll be safe, I promise. And you'll be able to track me.”

“You can't wear a wire,” Morgan pointed out. That was painfully obvious of course. It worried them all that they couldn't keep in contact like that, but it'd have to be some other way. Hotchner was obviously going to have some scanner when he first met Reid to detect any sort of electronics, so they would have to be smart. Hopefully Garcia could cook something up that wouldn't be detected, but at this time it looked like she wasn't in the mood right at that moment to discuss their options. She still wanted to stop him from going, they all did, but they had to. This had to be done. Hotchner had to be stopped.

“How long would you be able to jam signals if he turned something on for a little bit of time each day?” Gideon asked, turning to the very shaken Garcia. Morgan had wandered over and was currently in the process of trying to calm her, his dark hand stark on her skin that had seemed to go even paler since Gideon had murmured Reid's name. It was times like this that Reid was glad for their relationship because Garcia really needed someone close at a time like this. She wasn't a profiler and she wasn't an agent; things like this hit her harder. Her heart was much more sensitive and so she choose to do her work behind the computers while the others went out to fight the bad guys. She understood them walking into those situations, however, she still couldn't accept letting on of her team—her family—walk into the line of fire and not say anything about it.

Still, she was able to type a few things under Derek's soft murmurs and she came up with something, nodding slightly. “It would be two minutes at the most, and it would be less to send video. If it's just audio, that takes up less bandwidth and will get here faster. It's like watching a movie online buffer, only this time Reid is being held captive by an evil man.” There was no hiding the almost snideness in her tone, and Reid winced though the rest of them chose to ignore it.

“We'll give him the glasses,” Rossi finally said. The glasses that he meant were classic video surveillance lenses that were too un-sophisticated in technology to really be detected easily, but once it was realized what they were, there was no going back. The camera was small enough that it could only be spotted if you took the glasses apart, and there was also a small microphone fitted into the as well. In order to stream without detection, Reid could only turn them on for a couple minutes at a time. “You'll have to wear them at all times so you don't look suspicious. They'll be watching your every move, so when you turn them on, make sure no one is looking.”

Reid nodded and looked over to Garcia who looked numb as she typed in the IP address for the video modem in the glasses and connected it to her secure system so she could block the feed. “All set,” she murmured, handing them over to Reid and not looking him in the eye. He smiled at her, though, not sure if he was trying to make her or himself feel better. It was a bit more comforting that he had a small way to contact his team, but that didn't mean he wasn't still scared.

The next step was for Garcia to wipe out everything about him, and she was a pro at it. Gideon and Rossi didn't want Hotchner's men taking a peak into Google with a picture of Reid and finding who he truly was; there would be the end of Reid. So they decided the best thing would be for him to keep his name, but change his past. So suddenly he wasn't the kid that graduated high school at twelve, he went to his first rehab at twelve. He didn't graduate high school or college at all, but instead left his home in Vegas at fifteen and never looked back, causing street and bar fights, and eventually leading to selling his own brand of heroine, meth, cocaine, and women. The thought that those facts were not on his name instead of those files hidden deep in Garcia's hard drive made him want to be sick, but it was the price to pay to bring justice to those that Aaron Hotchner hurt and/or killed. He didn't care if he was sacrificed in the process, that's all that mattered to him.

.x.x.x.x.

The drive down to the edge's of Hotchner's turf were silent and tense, save for Garcia's words over the phone about how to take care of himself. After nine PM, these streets were off-limits except to a select few of select individuals. Some of them worked for the boss, some of them were clients for the drugs or the prostitutes that Hotchner himself screened before allowing into his domain. The biggest risk Reid would be taking would be to cross that boarder into seemingly no-man's land and risking getting a bullet through his forehead the second he was spotted.

“Don't hide,” Derek was saying, his voice sounding a bit electronic from over the phone. He had stayed back with Penelope and JJ while Prentiss, Rossi, and Gideon drove Reid out to meet his certain demise. “That will lead to your automatic capture and kill.”

“Derek!” Penelope scolded from beside him, but the other man just sighed softly.

“It's true, baby girl. If you hide, they'll see you as more of a threat than you already are. You're an outsider and you're not approved by the boss. Hotchner is sure to have shown them time and time again everyone who is allowed in. Their first rule is to shoot and ask questions later, so you need to give them a reason not to shoot.”

“Got it,” Reid said softly, trying not to let his hands shake as he slid the glasses over his eyes. The lenses weren't prescription, but he didn't really need them for that anyway. They were clean and sleek with frames holding onto the top of the lenses, the bottoms being bare. The camera was directly on the nosepiece so they would get a clear view of exactly all that Spencer was seeing and hearing. He had a watch on that was set to the times of the day when he was to turn the glasses on to record for just two minutes, hoping the video streamed through fine. There were no second chances with this, and any idea that there was would cost Spencer his life.

“Act calm and confident, but not cocky. And for the love of God don't talk back to them, just agree with what they're doing and answer their questions directly. Any sort of argument or feeling like you want to attempt to move in on their turf will get you and automatic execution.” Derek wanted to be straight and to the point, but they were all tensed and worried and Spencer could hear it in his friend's voice. He was having a hard time trying not to be so worried, knowing he could bring this man down, but it was hard when the bravest people he's ever known were scared. It made him start to tremble and force down the bile in his throat as Gideon brought the car to a slow, crawling halt just outside the invisible barrier that would house Reid for as long as it took to bring the “kingdom” down.

“Are you ready?” Rossi asked, turning in his seat.

“No,” Reid said, earning sad smiles from all those inside.

“Then come home!” Garcia exclaimed, near tears again and they heard Derek's soft voice once again.

“You'll be fine,” Emily tried, her smile a bit more comforting than the others who looked like they were sending him of into battle knowing he wouldn't make it. He didn't have the confidence that Morgan said he should have, but he wouldn't let that stop him. At this point, he had come too far to give up and he wouldn't disappoint his team or anyone of those families that Hotchner affected that were now inadvertently counting on him.

“Thanks,” he murmured. He made sure that the gun he was issued instead of the side-arm he got from the FBI was secure in the back of his jeans, the safety on tightly and the muzzle carefully away from hitting anything vital. He had a knife on the inside of his left thigh and a smaller blade in his shoe. He felt way too armed and it almost scared him, yet he knew it was necessary if he were to survive this. He just hoped so much that he never had to use it. Killing an UnSub was one thing, but killing for survival wasn't something he ever wanted to know. He wasn't like these people, he wasn't an animal or a monster. He was one of the good guys.

“Good luck, Reid, and remember what we said. If you need out quickly, turn on the glasses and hold up three fingers on your left hand. We'll come running.”

“But what if I mess it up?” he asked, his voice cracking slightly. “What if I flash it and it's too soon and we get nothing? What if I do it and someone else dies?”

Gideon just gave him another attempted smile and patted him softly on the shoulder. Emily hugged him tight and Rossi gave him a nod. “Bye, guys,” he whispered into the phone. Garcia was sniffling, but Morgan and JJ managed a goodbye before Spencer climbed out of the dark vehicle. He felt far too exposed as it crawled away from him leaving him standing on the edge of the most terrifying cartel in history. He took deep breaths, trying to build up that confidence that he should have and at the same time trying not to tear it back to the BAU and never leave the comfort of the bullpit again.

_You have a job to do,_ he convinced himself and he kept saying it as he walked further. He felt too exposed as he walked into the streetlights out of the darkness, his shadow casting wide on the ground. It smelled like garbage and the sewer, sweat and sex. He knew there were prostitutes and their clients hidden away in most of the alleys along with many different drug deals and overdoses that were going wrong. He tried hard not to run over to help, the FBI agent in him screaming to do something, but he forced himself to keep moving.

He didn't see anybody so much as feel them. He knew there were eyes on him, but he kept his head high and his gaze rooted ahead of him instead of searching the shadows around him for those who were watching him. It made him very uneasy, all the hair on his arms and the back of his neck standing up on end.

He went in deeper and deeper, looking at all the close businesses owned by Hotchner and run by his people. People lived above them with his approval and Spencer knew that's where the eyes were coming from. Still, he kept walking, knowing he'd be noticed eventually. However, he didn't expect the blow on the back of his head all of a sudden, making him groan and his body drop to the ground quickly like a ton of bricks. He rolled over on his back, staring up at a big guy who looked like a tank with a shaved head and tattoos everywhere except on his face. He faintly remembered seeing him on some footage somebody managed to get of Hotchner once and knew this man to be his head bodyguard.

He also knew him to be almost as brutal as the boss himself because before Spencer could even open his mouth, the man swung the butt of a gun down against him again, cracking him square across the nose and jaw. He felt blood for a moment as his head swam, but it was only for a moment as he gave into the darkness, not feeling as his body was lifted and carried somewhere else.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A couple things I wanted to say real quick!
> 
> 1\. Here are the glasses that Spencer is wearing. :) [Click Here](http://s57.photobucket.com/user/green_day_grl8972/media/tumblr_n9ubuxulcf1rvnjpeo9_500_zpsdac46388.jpg.html)
> 
> 2\. I have a question! Well more of a little poll... I haven't figured out the ending yet, but I have some ideas! I wanted some readers input and _maybe_ I'll use it for the ending. Here are my ideas:  
>  \- Spencer stays with Aaron and the BAU hunts him, too.  
> \- Spencer goes back to the BAU and puts Aaron in jail, but later breaks him out.  
> \- Spencer goes back to the BAU and puts Aaron in jail, but _doesn't_ break him out. (As in, they don't wind up together at the end.)  
>  \- Spencer goes back to the BAU, but breaks him out before he can go to jail.
> 
> Yeah, just let me know your thoughts and thanks so much for reading!


End file.
